MV Hondius Passengers Begin Disembarkation in Canary Islands Amid Hantavirus Outbreak
Passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship have started disembarking in Tenerife following a hantavirus outbreak that resulted in three fatalities.
Passengers aboard the MV Hondius have commenced disembarking in Tenerife, Canary Islands, after the vessel docked early Sunday morning. The Dutch-flagged cruise ship experienced a hantavirus outbreak, leading to three confirmed fatalities: a Dutch couple and a German woman.
Health officials report that no remaining passengers or crew are currently exhibiting hantavirus symptoms. The ship, carrying nearly 150 individuals from over 15 countries, including 17 Americans, had previously been denied docking in Cape Verde before Spain agreed to receive it.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship's operator, outlined a phased evacuation plan. Spanish passengers are disembarking first, followed by groups bound for the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Greece, and other countries. Americans will be flown back to the U.S. on a medical repatriation flight organized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services. Upon arrival at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, they will be quarantined at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and other health agencies are coordinating the evacuation. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus traveled to Tenerife ahead of the ship's arrival. Hantaviruses are typically transmitted to humans from rodents. The Andes strain, found in Latin America, is known for rare human-to-human transmission. Dr. Tedros assessed the public risk as low, a sentiment echoed by acting CDC director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who stated that transmission requires close contact and the risk to the American public is very low.
Investigations into the outbreak's source are ongoing. The Dutch couple who died had traveled through regions in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay where the Andes virus is present. The husband developed symptoms on April 6 and died aboard the ship on April 11. His wife fell ill after disembarking in St. Helena and died in South Africa on April 26. The German woman developed symptoms on April 28 and died on May 2.
Following disembarkation, a skeleton crew will resupply the MV Hondius before sailing to Rotterdam, Netherlands, a journey expected to take about five days.
